Microsoft goes for Flash Video…..sort of

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Supposedly MSN is going to launch their video service, Soapbox today. Right now there is a beta signup which takes you to a waiting list screen, but information from Kurt Shintaku is giving us a glimpse of what to expect.

And that something is Flash, at least for some users. According to Kurt’s blog, if you go to the site with Firefox or Safari, you get a version of the video in Flash format. If you visit it using Internet Explorer and Windows, you get a Windows Media version. It’s an interesting tactic, and it will make for a good experiment to try the two formats side by side.

It also shows that Microsoft is catering to other users, something they haven’t done well in the past. The fact that Flash is a centerpiece of their site is an indication of just how pervasive the technology has become. Launching without it would have been a death knell, and this approach is a win-win for Microsoft; handle all of the traffic and promote their media format at the same time.

[tags]Flash Video, Microsoft, Soapbox[/tags]

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  5. Google v. Microsoft
  • Nambe

    Progressive playback for windows media is a joke – you don’t know what’s going on, you don’t know how much has been downloading, you can’t seek.

    How long until they realize the Flash version is much better?

  • blue loo

    Windows media sucks as much as Quicktime does for mainstream, they both do have some advantages in certain fields of application. But for mainstream Flash8 video is the only choice. Although I am a Microsoft Partner, I must admit.

  • http://www.novemberain.com/ Michael Klishin

    I have Flash Player 9 installed and page at video.msn.com says I have to download a bundle because I’m missing needed software… I’m using Firefox 2b2.

    Microsoft should open their eyes on what alternative offering really means.

  • http://weblogs.macromedia.com/jd John Dowdell

    This is great news, thanks for highlighting it, Ryan… it means that practical universality has won out over narrow interests. The two approaches can fit well together, side by side, depending on audience choice.

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  • greg h

    Ryan,

    You are spot on that Microsoft’s launching this type of a service “without it [Flash Video] would have been a death knell”.

    If Microsoft wants to succeed with a site delivering video on the web, they have to go with web standards. And for video on the web, the standard is Flash. There simply is no other option available when it comes to ubiquity, quality, and interactivity. The market has spoken.

    “that Microsoft is catering to other users” is an acknowledgement that in this case they actually do want to compete with Google and Yahoo! and even “upstarts” like YouTube. All of whom succeed with 100% Flash video. Soapbox even using Windows Media is like Apple’s insistence on using Quicktime on their site. lol. Doing that is not going to make their video formats more relevant. Only operating system independence and browser independence can do that. And today, Flash alone does that. FLASH VIDEO RULES!

    Thank you very much for bringing attention to Kurt’s post. (btw … odd that Kurt has disabled comments on his blog.)

    g

  • http://www.clubc.net David

    Arrghhh! This was the second time my Firefox Browser crashed. Once I was on useitdotcom and now on soapbox. How shocking websurfing can be.

  • http://blog.digitalbackcountry.com Ryan Stewart

    Great comments guys. I don’t really know why anyone would use an alternative to Flash Video unless they were doing High Definition, and I’m not entirely sure if there is an HD alternative out there.

    Michale, are you still having issues with the site? I haven’t been able to check it out yet.

  • http://www.novemberain.com/ Michael Klishin

    Yes, I’m still experiencing the same problem with Firefox and Flash Player 9.